USA Offers Russia Cooperation in Some Missile Defense Aspects

The USA offered Russia cooperation in some technical aspects of creating an antimissile defense system, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff of the US armed forces, general Richard Myers, said at a briefing in Pentagon on Wednesday. He pointed out that the USA and Russia had already been collaborating in the missile defense sphere. In particular, Myers said, joint exercises were conducted twice. At the present time, according to him, it is planned to conduct the next exercises, and consultations with the Russian side on this issue have been already held.

Commenting, at the request of journalists, on the statement made Wednesday by Russian defense minister Sergei Ivanov concerning the intention to develop the system of airspace defense, head of the Pentagon Donald Rumsfeld pointed out that Russians just as Americans look at the world and see countries working on the development of long-range ballistic missiles.

Rumsfeld also stressed that Russia is aware of the spreading of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons to the countries whose possession of such weapons arouses great anxiety.